Natural leaf aging
An occasional yellow lower leaf on a healthy dumb cane is completely normal.
Diagnosis
Natural leaf aging
What's happening
Dieffenbachia grows from a central cane and steadily retires its oldest, lowest leaves to put energy into new growth at the top. If only one or two of the lowest leaves are yellowing and the crown looks lush, nothing is wrong.
How to fix it
Snip the spent leaf off close to the cane if you like the tidier look, and carry on with your normal care. Just keep an eye out that the yellowing stays limited to the oldest leaves and doesn't start working its way up the cane.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Dumb Cane care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this